Men's Basketball vs. Lehigh

          The St. John's Men's basketball game against Lehigh University on Wednesday, November 9, was a thrilling one for the Red Storm in more ways than one. The entire Carnesecca Arena burst into cheers as Head Coach Steve Lavin made a surprise entry to coach his first game of the season since having prostate cancer surgery on October 6. This was my first glimpse of the well-loved coach in person, and seeing the wonderful way he worked with the team during the game, I instantly understood the great admiration that exists for him among STJ fans. The intense energy in the arena that resulted from his return remained throughout the entire game, and 'Johnnies' fans were delighted to celebrate a 76-73 win that night. 

A Pep Band view of Steve Lavin coaching his first game of the season
(Coach Lavin can be seen in the suit and white sneakers standing
on the court near the bottom right corner of the photo.) 

St. John's and Lehigh basketball players

The final scoreboard

The night brought yet another nice surprise as after the game I walked 

into the D'Angelo Center to find the St. John's 'Voices of Victory' Gospel Choir performing as part of a concert held there that night. Not only was I excited to get to listen to their sweet tunes, but also because it was the first time I was seeing the choir perform since knowing members Aaron, Katie, Lisa, and MuMu, all of whom I met through InterVarsity. In fact, I was delighted to find 

a group of InterVarsity friends in the audience, and we all enjoyed listening 

to the music and supporting our fellow InterVarsity members together!